Article of the Week: Understanding the Addicted Brain

National Geographic shared the latest research into the way the brain adapts to addictive substances in a recent cover story.

Among the findings that researchers have recently discovered include:

Addiction doesn’t just reshape the way our brains handle pain, pleasure, and emotions. New scientific research indicates that our brains actually learn to value the addictive substance above family, friends, work, and other responsibilities.

Addiction forces the part of the brain that controls our behavior to be silent. This makes it harder for addicted people to stop themselves from using drugs and alcohol.

Addiction isn’t always a physical need for a substance. Scientists now believe that it is a psychological craving for a substance that is often too powerful to resist.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to read more about these recent breakthroughs in understanding addiction.